An emerging actress, writer and director, Ariel Hansen is expanding her career not just with her own work in the indie scene but also through her company Bad Cookie Films which is making its first marks on the scene. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the industry, working on the studios' films and upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Ariel Hansen: Ever since I was a little kid I’ve always loved the spooky stuff in life, especially in the TV shows I watched like Freaky Stories and Big Wolf on Campus, which may have explained why I wanted to be a werewolf for years.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
AH: Genre films were definitely my jam as a kid, I probably wore out my Ghostbusters VHS watching it so much and I saw a bunch of horror classics from the 60s-80s with my folks, but I actually had a strange relationship with some horror films until my mid-teens. Certain ones (like zombie films or The Ring) I would be absolutely terrified to watch them ahead of time, but then I would be completely fine once I was watching them. Imagine being nervous to watch Shaun of the Dead. Once I got over it though I became full-on horror obsessed and watched anything and everything without fear going in.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
AH: Once again this has always been a passion for me since I loved to perform for people all my life, but it really ramped up once I started doing plays in elementary school and going to theatre/comedy camps. What really appealed to me about acting was how you can affect people, be it making them laugh... or scream, and being able to play pretend for fun and profit. You get to try on different character’s lives to tell their stories and then you can be a completely different character the next week.
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing? What do you look for in a character to be excited and interested in playing it?
AH: I absolutely love playing monsters, nothing excites me more than being covered in prosthetics and fake blood. That being said, what’s really important to me about a project is the story they are trying to tell. If it means working on a movie that I would love watching as a viewer I’m more than happy to play anything from a brainiac co-ed to a bumbling cop if that’s the best fit for me in the film.
Me: Having worked on plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
AH: I’d say the biggest skills I’ve gained from those are being flexible enough to change things on the fly if something’s not working and being able to make a small budget go far. Also assembling a crew you know you can trust to bring great ideas to the table.
Me: While you have been working for several years, you stepped into the directors' chair for the short 'Ready to Burst.' Where did the inspiration to do this come from?
AH: Truth be told the project came about as a way for me to write a role for myself to act in. I figured since no one was just going to hand me acting roles I better start making them for myself. Originally my producing partner Topher and I were looking to find someone else to direct the project, but when we were having trouble finding anyone he encouraged me to direct it and boy am I ever glad I agreed to give it a go.
Me: Being the writer, director and star of the short, did it challenge you to be involved in various capacities at once on a project like this? How do you balance those priorities during a shoot?
AH: Luckily it was a pretty small crew we had which was made up of some great folks who all had plenty of experience in their fields which allowed me to really focus on how the shots were going and my own performance. We’d also given ourselves enough time for the shoot to allow for reviewing shots to evaluate my own performance and decide if we needed another take.
Me: As well, you're also a co-founder of the company Bad Cookie Pictures. How did that come about? What are some of your more memorable experiences producing films?
AH: Myself and Topher (Christopher “Topher” Graham) had originally started writing a feature screenplay together when I wrote Ready to Burst and asked him to come on board as a producer. Once we’d finished that film another pair of opportunities to make some shorts came up right away and with that, we realized we should have something for all of the films we make with our close collaborators to fall under.
On our third film Paint the Town Red, even though it was an indoor shoot, it was almost ruined by the weather. It was March and we were shooting a big club scene and only had the location for a limited amount of time. I woke up at 4AM the morning of the shoot to get ready only to find it had snowed overnight and was still snowing. Now in most Canadian cities, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but here in Vancouver snow is such a rarity that the city often ends up shut down the first day of snow because the roads are so bad. We were supposed to have a bunch of extras show up, but because the buses are unreliable in the snow all the ones who were able to make it ended up very late. Thankfully we had asked some of the crew to dress in outfits that allowed them to double as background actors so we were still able to get our shots and a bunch of people got to cameo in the film.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, 'Clout.' Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
AH: It all started when a filmmaker friend of mine was talking about short film projects involving the seven deadly sins which got me thinking about how I could put my own spin on a modern tale about vanity. That little thought rabbit hole eventually led to me making a film about an influencer who gets infected by an alien parasite that feeds off of her vanity.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
AH: This was my most ambitious project to date and also had the biggest cast/crew working on it. Everyone on set seemed really excited to be there, although there were one or two people who loved the story but had to look away when some of the special effects were going on because of their more sensitive dispositions.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
AH: I think it was our last day of shooting, my character had an outfit for one of the scenes where she had space buns for a hairstyle. Throughout the day, one by one, everyone in the crew started getting their hair done up like that until by the time the scene was done everyone had two buns on their head or pigtails if their hair was long enough.
Me: What is the expected release date for the short?
AH: Clout is currently in the middle of its festival run, so it’s all going to depend on which festivals it is selected by and it may be a while before it’s available outside of a festival setting.
Me: How do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
AH: It’s definitely been harder than usual this past year with the pandemic and all, but the two things that I find help me to be the most creative are watching the films and series others make and learning about lesser-known parts of human history. You never know what can inspire a new story and the more strange ideas you can bring into your head the better!
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
AH: I’ve currently got two short films in pre-production, the first of which is a horror-comedy called Damned Supper which I wrote and will be directing and acting in. The second project is a period thriller I’m helping to produce and will be acting in as well. I’ve also got some voiceover projects coming out in the next year, but you’ll have to follow me on social media to find out about those when I’m allowed to talk about them.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
AH: My biggest piece of advice would be to start making your art in whatever capacity you can ASAP and get it out there. The best way to improve is through practicing, be it making films or creating whatever it is you make so the sooner you can start developing your skills and sharing your work with others the better.
To follow her and her studios' work, check out her and Bad Cookie Films' social media links:
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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